Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarette (eCigs) and personal vaporizers (PVs), are electronic inhalers that vaporize or atomize a liquid solution into an aerosol mist that may then be delivered to a user. A typical eCig has two main parts—a battery part and a cartomizer. The battery part typically includes a rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, a light emitting diode (LED), and a pressure sensor. The cartomizer typically includes a liquid solution, an atomizer and a mouthpiece. The atomizer typically includes a heating coil that vaporizes the liquid solution.
For safety reasons, the rechargeable battery is not directly connected to external contacts. Instead, a diode and a field effect transistor (FET) are connected in series with the battery connection. When a FET is used, the FET is turned on once a charging process is detected for the eCig. The eCig may be charged by placing the eCig in a charging station that is configured to receive the particular eCig. The charging station may include a charging circuit that is configured to supply power to the eCig to charge the battery.
Generally, eCig charging devices or holders (e.g., a charging station, a eCig charging pack, or the like) use a switch to detect when an eCig is placed in a station. However, switches are expensive, failure prone, and mechanically complex to implement in eCig charging holders. An unmet need exists for a low cost eCig charging holder that can detect the presence of an eCig without expending large amounts of current and without the use of a switch.
The present disclosure provides a system, a method, and a device that satisfy this unmet need, providing a simple, inexpensive, low energy consumption charging device and method.